Thursday, October 11, 2012

Belly Flops

Some times things just don't work out the way you wanted them to. I'm currently on a mis-sizing jag. The last 3 projects have ended up either too big or too small. Part of the reason I'm sharing the details is because people are always assuming that because I'm experienced, everything I make works out perfectly, if not flawlessly. Is anything in life ever like that?

I finally got around to finishing this hoodie for my niece Lucy. I thought it would be a Christmas or birthday gift. I used some stashed Koigu Kersti, it was pink enough for her, and un-pink enough for me to work with. The pattern is a basic hoodie pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. I especially liked this version on Ravelry. I worked hard to keep the colours from pooling, I knit the whole thing alternating 2 balls of yarn. On the arms I even threw in a third when necessary.

I wasn't sure which size to make. Lucy will be 2 this January. The baby version of this pattern goes up to 24 months, but the child's version starts at size 2 to 4. I erred on the side of safety and went with the child size. I now know that when it comes to kids there is no such thing as a size 2 to 4, there is only a size 2 or a size 4. When finished, the sweater was a size 4. Not the end of the world, but she wasn't going to be wearing it this year.

The edges were curling up on the bottom and the hood, so I set about blocking it. I washed it in Eucalan and lay it out on the dining room table. It grew in a very unusual and unexpected way. Kersti is routinely used by other people as a worsted weight yarn, and I had taken this for granted. The manufacturer, however describes it as a DK weight yarn. It seems that while Kersti knits like a worsted, it blocks like a DK. Hence, my sweater was knit on too large a needle for the yarn, and when washed the stitches stretched to their normal size. The sweater jumped up another size. Lesson learned - always listen to the manufacturer, they know their yarn.

Regardless, I took it over to my brother & sister-in-law's house, in the hopes of getting a picture of Lucy swimming in it. She refused, I guess it felt more like drowning. My sister in law held it up and yelled across the house to my brother "Hey, look what Haley made for Lucy! It's a sweater that'll fit her when she's six!" Whatever, it looks great, and it'll fit her *some* day.

So there you go, sometimes the universe has different plans. Lucy will be starting grade 1 when she's 6, maybe she will need a really special sweater from her aunt to help her out with the change that year.